Why Being Vegetarian Has Never Been So Easy

For six years I’ve been a Vegetarian, recently dipping my toe into the pool of Veganism.

As much as I love being a ‘veggie’ and can’t imagine myself going back to eating meat, I can’t say that it’s been an entirely easy ride.

At 15 years old, I catapulted head-first into my new veggie lifestyle, determined to no longer feel guilty about eating animals whilst at the same time loving them dearly. Instead of doing my research and easing myself gradually into my new way of life, I had to find out the hard way just how difficult switching to a meat-free diet was.

Let’s just say back in 2011, there wasn’t much variety in my local Tesco to accommodate for my new diet. Frankly, I felt like giving up.

As dramatic as it may sound, it often felt like everything was against me trying to do something I really wanted to do. Substitutes weren’t inspiring, takeaways felt like a challenge and god forbid I would want to eat something other than stuffed mushrooms or cheesy pasta when eating out at a restaurant. Seriously not every vegetarian likes mushroom.

Thankfully, times have changed.

I feel like we now live in a society where we can appreciate and understand other people’s choices. The rise in social media means that we can find other people who love the same things that we do. We can become involved in different communities, no matter where we live in the world. It means that we can educate ourselves, helping us to change our lives to reflect our own morals and values.

That’s why I think being vegetarian has never been so easy.

I’m constantly amazed at the growing number of new products aimed at making living a veggie lifestyle hassle-free and enjoyable. I especially love businesses that aim to make being vegetarian and vegan a convenience and not feel like a chore.

I recently went to such a business. A lovely little café and deli that had just opened in my area, serving only vegetarian and vegan food.

When I first looked around, what stood out to me the most was the menu.

It was as if they weren’t trying too hard. Offering food that you would want to see on a menu and it actually made it quite difficult to pick what to order. It’s as if the menu was saying “just because you’re a veggie doesn’t mean you only have to eat grains and salads” which I bloomin’ love. Don’t get me wrong, I love a healthy granola as much as the next girl. But when I’m hangry hungry, a chickpea salad just isn’t going to cut it.

The quality of sandwiches is on par with what you would find at a cute boutique bakery somewhere or even your local big-name coffee shop. Handmade, chunky and with a range of fillings to please pretty much anyone.

Also the CAKES. Good lord. As a girl that has always loved a sweet treat, I was pleased that the cakes tasted as good as they looked.

All of the cakes served are vegan. But I think even if your non-vegan friends ate these, they would go down a storm. It wasn’t massively obvious that you were eating a dairy-free alternative. In fact, the brownies tasted even more chocolate-ier (win).

To check out more information on the wonderful Happy Healthy Deli & Café, take a peek at their Facebook page here and be sure to pop in if you’re ever in the area. You won’t regret it.

4 Comments

That cafe looks amazing oh my 😍 If I’m ever local I’ll be giving it a visit for sure! Also, definitely agree it’s getting so much easier to be vegetarian now, there’s so much variety out there! http://www.crueltyfreehayley.com x

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As a fellow Vegetarian myself who is also dipping her toes into Veganism – this is a lovely blog to be reading! I am very happy to see someone local to me also supporting the same business. I recently offered my spare time, for free, to help the Happy Healthy Café open up in their first few weeks of opening. I agree that their menu hits just the spot and every week they are finding ways to improve it.